Tuesday, 28 February 2012

I
had no idea that wine could be made from Cashew until I spotted a
report from Sri Lanka about its popularity. In the West we use
Cashew nuts as a snack and as a garnish or in its ground form as an
ingredient for curries. The nut is actually a seed which comes from
the Cashew Apple which is native to Northern South America.

The
nut is a kidney shaped drupe that grows at the end of the Cashew
Apple which is surrounded by a double shell containing a potent skin
irritant chemically related to poison ivy. Properly roasting cashews
destroys the toxin, but it must be done outdoors as the smoke can
irritate the lungs. The Cashew Apple is extremely sweet and very
juicy when ripe and shockingly astringent when not. It's supposed to
taste a little like a sweet mix of Mango, Green Pepper and Citrus.
The reason they’re not found over here is that their skin is thin
and fragile, making it difficult to ship them but Health Food shops
sometimes stock canned or bottled Cashew Apple juice.

The
Cashew was introduced to Goa, India, between the years of 1560 and
1565 by the Portuguese and from there spread throughout South East
Asia and eventually Africa. The Cashew Apple can be eaten raw, used
in cooking and fermented into wine or liqueur – which the early
Dutch traders apparently preferred to Brandy!

The
Cashew liqueur and wine can be found in Belize where the main Cashew
producing areas are Burrel Boom and Crooked Tree. A local winery,
BelMer
Wines makes Cashew
and other wines from local fruits such as Mango. The wine is said to
be sweet and potent, deceptively mild and alluring. It has a rich
aroma and matches well with Oriental spicy foods.

If
anyone has tasted Cashew Wine please let me know! As for Cashew nuts
– here is one of my favourite recipes.

Prawns
with Cashew Nuts

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cornstarch

1 egg white

1 lb. fresh prawns (shelled and
de-veined)

4 oz. cashew nuts

3 cups cooking oil

2 spring onions, chopped

2 slices ginger

¼ tsp sugar

1 tbsp cooking wine

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sesame oil

Mix
the salt, cornstarch and egg white together in a bowl. Add the prawns
and marinate for 1 hour. In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil
and add cashews, stirring until browned. Remove, drain cashews on
paper towels and set aside. Reheat the oil in the pan, add the prawns
and stir fry for 1 minute. Remove shrimp and drain on paper towels.
Discard the oil. Add two fresh tablespoons of cooking oil, heat in
the pan and quickly stir fry the spring onions and ginger. Add the
prawns, stir in the sugar, cooking wine, salt and sesame oil. Add the
cashews and stir until thoroughly mixed. Serve immediately

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Two
thousand bottles of a long lost Coronation
Alehave
been discovered in a bricked up cellar. The Coronation Ale was set
to be sold in Britain to commemorate Edward VIII's coronation -
planned for the anniversary of the King’s first year on the throne
in January 1937. But the bottles of ale never saw the light of day
because Edward abdicated just a month before in December 1936 to
marry American twice-divorced Wallis Simpson.

The
ale then lay undiscovered for decades until workman found it in a
bricked up cellar after being called in to replace a floor at the
200-year-old Greene
King Brewery
in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Greene
King is better known for beers such as Old
Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Belhaven Best and
a range of seasonal beers.

The
origin of the ale became clear when a faded label was spotted on one
bottle. Beer historians checked records and museum articles and
confirmed the corked bottles were of Coronation Ale. Expert brewer
John Bexon sampled the vintage ale and told the Daily Mail that:

“This
really would have been a fantastic beer in its day, it was 12 per
cent when it was brewed so is quite strong and has kept really well.

The
rich fruit flavour still stands out and you can see a clear ring
around the top of the beer when you look at it through the glass,
rather like you might see on a vintage port or wine.”

John,
who has been in the brewery industry for 35 years, said it was
impossible to put a price on the ale but said it could be of real
value to beer buffs or collectors.

I
had no idea that ales could age like wine but after doing a little
reading up on the topic I have found out that Fullers
produce a Vintage Ale. Their oldest vintage dates back to 1997.

The
world's oldest beer was discovered in 2010 in the sunken cargo off a
wreck found on the Baltic seabed near the Aland Islands, between
Sweden and Finland - along with 30 bottles of Champagne (see Nick's
Blog 200
Year Old Champagne is Veuve Cliquot and Juglar).
However the beer from the wreck is not drinkable and scientists are
hoping to analyse the remains to see if they can recreate
it.

I
wonder if the Coronation Ale is the world's oldest drinkable ale?
Does anyone know of any ales that are older?

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Somm
is a new wine film, directed by Jason Wise is hoped to première on
the East Coast. The film charts the progress of 4 young sommeliers:
Brian McClintic, Dustin Wilson, Ian Cauble and D'Lynn Proctor who are
attempting to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam. This is a
qualification with one of the lowest pass rates in the world, with
less than 200 people achieving a pass. Wise has submitted the film
to the Tribeca and Edinburgh film festivals.

The
trailer for the film has had over 15,000 unique page views within the
first two days and Wise is optimistic about the film's success.

Access
to the Court Of Master Sommeliers has always been strictly regulated
and cameras have never been allowed anywhere near the exam . . .
until now. According to Decanter.com
the film also features interviews with some major wine producers,
including Andrea Cecci of Tuscany, Hano Zillikenof Saar in Germany,
Paul Graf von Schönborn of Schloss Schönborn, Bo Barrett of Chateau
Montelena, and Wilhelm Haag of Fritz Haag in the Mosel. The film
took two years to film and spanned 6 countries in location.

“Described
variously as ‘the new rockstars’, ‘prophets’, ‘egomaniacs’,
and ‘sickly gifted’, the four Americans go through ‘thousands
and thousands of hours’ of wine tasting, wine theory and practice.

In
scenes reminiscent of The Apprentice and dozens of other reality TV
shows, Somm – as sommeliers are sometimes called in the US –
shows them in the depths of despair, as well as approaching what they
concede is a ‘brutal’ ordeal with masochistic relish.”

“Somm
highlights not only their extreme level of commitment but the
all-encompassing effect it has on their lives.”

In
the UK, Master Sommeliers contacted by Decanter were positive about a
film which may lay to rest some misconceptions about their profession
Ronan Sayburn MS, wine director at Hotel du Vin, said:

“Demystifying
wine is good for the industry as a whole” – although he firmly
denied any pretensions to star status: “Maybe I feel like a rock
star for about ten minutes when I’m decanting a bottle of Latour,
but not at two am when I’m polishing glasses. In the Court of
Master Sommeliers, we try to teach humility.”